Loader fob machine-gui



F. M. CASE. LOADER FOR MACHINE GUN MAGAZINES. APPLICATION FILED MAY 13.1918.

1 43 0 3 Patented Nov. 21 1922.

3 SHEETSSHEET l- :i- I 1: Ij7;' ZZZ 3 i M 7-1 57 g Z 4/ E i F 40 r! w:1: A

F M. CASE. LOADER FORMACHINE GUN MAGAZINES- APPLICATION FILED 'MAY 131918.

Patented NOV. 21, 1922.

I 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F. M. CASE.

LOADER FOR NIACHINE GUN MAGAZINES. APPLICATION FILED MAY 13. 1918.

1,436,083. Pdtent Nov. 21, 1922.

3 HEETS--SHEET 3.

Patented Nov. 21, 1922.

illi l TEA it E S rarer-tr 'FRANGIS'M. CASE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO,ASSIGNOR TO EDWARD C. MOKAY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

LOAD-ER FOR lldACHINE-GUN JHAGAZINES.

Application filed May 13,

To (L7! 'w/wm may concern Be it known that l. FnANols M. CASE, citizenol" the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Guyahogaand State of ()himhave invented certain new and useful l'mprovennmts inLoaders for lilachinellun Magazines. of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to loaders for machine gun magazines, and moreparticularly to loaders for the disc magazine of a Lewis or similarniacl'iincgrun. The object of the invention isto provide an improvedloader which will take the cartridges individually from clips, or fromcartons, which will load them into the magazine without missing orjaming, which is-so constructed as to enablethe magazine to be readilyattached to or detached from the loader, which will also serve as anunloader when desired, and which operates at a very greatly increasedspeed over prior loaders For the same purpose.

Further objects oi the invention are in part obvious and in part willappear more in detail hereinafter.

The lllYLllllOll comprises the condruction and m'i'an -ieiucnl; of partshereinafter described. and claimed.

in the drawings. which represent one enlhodiincnt of the invention. Fig.l is a plan view; Fig. is a side elevation, one of the supply chutesbeing omitted; Fig. 3 is a. detail section on the line 3--3.-Fig. l;Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view on the line -ll, Fig. 8, parts beingbroken out to expose underlying parts; Fig. 5 is a detail sectional viewon the line 55. Fig. 8; Fig. 6 is a ectional plan YlOW on the line G-Fig. l 1 T .is a srctional elevation on the line T-T. Fig. I: Fig, S isa sectional ele alicii on the line 8-H. Fig. 1; Fig. 9 is :1 detailfront elevation. partly in section. of one of the supply chides; Fig.2.ll) is a sectional clcvation thercol' on approniinatcly the lineill--10. Fig. 1.: Fig. l1 is plan view el' another form of supply chute:l la! is a side ration of the upper portion thereof; and.

is :1 Front iew thereof. 2 or clearness of description of the presentcan-inllon l misideralilc re i'ercncc must he pmde to the magazine to beloaded. because t so iuliumtely related to the loader when inire-operative relation thereto. The drawings illustrate the m-agazine ofa luShlS gun,

spirally extending portion. tion of said hub has secured thereto a disc1918. Serial No. 234,092.

although it will, of course, be understood that said magazine may beused with other suitable machine guns and that the loader here to bedescribed can be utilized for :loading other types of magazines. the one5 whose peripheral portion supports in swirelled relation to said hubthepan G, the periphery of which is corrugated to provide externalrecesses 7 and internal recesses 8, each inwardly extending corrugationbeing provided with a plate 9 whose side edges overlap the innerrecesses 8 and are adapted tocnter the annular groove 10 at the butt endof the :artridge 11 so as to confine the cartridges in the innerrecesses or seats 8 when they are introduced thereinto. The disc orbottom portion of the pan 6 has secured to its center an annular ring:member l2 curryinga scrics of upright pins l3. which surround and lieclosely adjacent to the hub 1, and which in number are equal to thenumber oi l((.(3r-$,(S or seats H and are spaced around the centre axisintermediate said seats. When the cartridges are in the n'i-agzuzinc lhcpins cu- ;rage rediuted shoulders 1-4: on the cartridges and space themfrom each other.

The central hub fl is a rotataldc relative to the pan and pins, butnormally. or when the pan is detached from-the loader or the machinegun. said hub is held non-rotatable. For this vurposethe member 5carries a latch L). Fig. 5. which-extends upwardly into the aperture 2and has a hooked locking por lion 1(3 and whose base is pressedlaterally by a compressionspring; ll" to engage its opposite end lb withone of a series ol recesses l9 in a part :20 which may he a portion ofthe pan or the ring 132. By reaching beneath thepan and pressing hackthe lat h 5 the hub may be relea d so as do 'rotalc -|'reely relative tothe pan or vice verse.

The leader nowto be described is arranged toreceive the magazine-and-tohold the same in. ro-operative relation with. the loader and with themagazine hub rotatable relative to the-pan. As the cartridges areintroduced,

with their butt ends in the recesses 8 the hub and pan are relativelyrotated to cause the cartridges to travel along the spiral groove landsimultaneously downward along the seats ti so as to thread them into themagazinc. 'lhc loader may he so constructed that either the pan or thehub is the stationary part, the other part being turned relativelythereto. in other words, if desired, the loader may he so constructedthat the pan may be held stationary and the hub rotated, in which casethe supply chutes of the leader will travel around the pan with the hub.The drawings, however, illustrate the reverse arrzmgement, in which thehub is held stationary and the pan is rotated relatively thereto.

The support for the hub is a tubular member having an external key 22and an enlarged lower portion provided with a chamber in which is anannular shoulder 24.. The hub 1 has a key-way 25 to receive the lrey22-. The hub may he slid up upon the number 21 with the key in thekey-way, thereby pressing back the latch 15, and when finally pushedhome the latch 15 is released sufl ciently to engage over the shoulder24:, as shown in Fig. 5. thereby retaining; the magazine upon the member21. In this position of the latch the dog or tooth 18 thereon isreleased from, the teeth '19 so that the pan is rotatable relative tothe hub. In removing the pan from the hub the latch 15 is pressed backand the pan pushed downwardly. To assist in pushing it ofi from member21, the latter may he provided with a central opening extending clear toits top in which may be inserted a rod or plunger whose lower end can beused to press down on the latch 15.

Supporting post 21 may he provided with any suitable means for holdingit firmly while operating the loader. For example, it may be providedwith a surrounding sleeve 2? clamped against a shoulder 28 by the nut29. Said. sleeve may he provided with a suitable handle. such asindicated at 30, Fi 9. By supporting the loader with this handle the panmay be turned relatively to the hub or vice versa. The drawings alsoshow the slccvo 9.? provided with a lateral arm or estension 31 whoseouter end portion fllfl'v be secured to a table or other suitablesupport 39,, Flllill as by the bolts 31". This arrangr'mncnt makes thehub the stationary uwmlmr and. the pan is rotated relatively thereto.

Between the lower end of sleeve 9.? and a second shoulder on the post 2!is a plate member the nut 29 thereby holding said plate non-rotatablerelative to the hub. At one point the outer portion of the plate 33 iscut away on one side of the central axis 10 form a. tongrue or guide 3awhich is bent downwardly into spiral form. This tongue is so locatedrelative to the key 222 as to lie directly opposite the spiral portionot the rib 33 ot' the pan huh when the magazine is attached to theloader, and its spiralit-y is the same as that of said rib. Plate 33also carries, either integral or attached thereto, a second tongue 35which lies above said plate and has a similar spirality to the tongue34. This tongue 35 lies directly above the recess or gate 36 in the hub'1 and through which the cartridges are threaded into the magazine. Ittherefore forms a guide for assisting: in introducing the cartridgesinto the magazine.

Plate forms a support for a rotatable feeding member or transfer device.The main -function oi said device is to feed the cartridges into themagazine one by one, but when a supply chute is used in connection withthe loader as hereafter described, it also serves to transfer thecartridges from the chute or chutes to the magazine. This teed- .ingdevice includes an outer ring; member 37 whose inner diametersubstantially the same as the diameter of the pan across the cartridgereceiving recesses 8, and whose outer diameter is somewhat greater thanthe pan. Said member is provided with a series oi inwardly extendingradially disposed arms or walls 38 whose inner ends lie directly overthe pins 13. Said arms are tapered and. each two adjacentarms formtherehetween a cavity pocket or compartment 39 of proper size to hold asingle cartridge. with suliicient clearance for the cartridge to freelyturn or roll in the compartment. The order and arrangement of thecompartments in the feeding device is the same as those in the magazineexcept, of course. that the magazine may be in plural form and arrangedto hold one, two, three or more layers of cartridges, and because thecon'ipartments of the feeding device always lie in the same relationshipto those of the magazine the tending device may he said to be in. phasewith the magazine. Member 37 is confined upon the plate 33 in a mannerto rotate thereon by means of a series. live being shown, of small clipsor plates 40 which are secured to the bottom of member 37 by screws 'l-land which extend imvardly l)- neath platc 33 as shown in Fig; 3. Thespiral tongue port-ion M of l t 51?. is: m. vidc l with a not h or WHFRQ49 t cnahlo said clips to pass through the same when rotating thefeeding member. aid member. at one point in its periphery is alsoprovided with a downwardly extending projection or Fer 43. Whenassembling the pan upon the loader the key 22 must not only beintroduced into the key-way 25 but the arms 38 of the feeding membermust be turned until they are directly opposite or radially disposedwith reterence to the pins and in.

this latter position the tongue 43 enters oneof the external recesses 7in the pan, so that the pan is properly orientated with reference to thecompartments of the feeding member.

As illustated in F 3 and 8 the dividing arms of the feeding: membertravel around upon the upper surface of the plate 3 as the pan isrotated around the hub. quently, by introducii ig a cartridge into eachof the conipanrlmenls 3i) rotation ol the feeding member in theclock-wise direction. Fig. 1, causes said cartridges to roll around uponthe plate 33 until they meet the tongues 34 and 35, which direct theminto the spiral channel 4- of the hub. Since each arm 38 lies opposite apin 1 the cmnpartinents of the feeding member are in alignment with theseats S of the pain. Therefore, as the cartridges are threaded into thechannel 4 their inner ends more downwardly between the pins and theirouter ends in the seats 8. It should also be noted that the large bodyportions of the cartridges are slightly conical or tapered, so that theyroll on a :l'lat surface in a circle. This circle o'l roll is oil largerdiameter than the feeding nan-mi her 3-7. 'lilxeretorgas the 'iet-wlingmember rolls the cartridges around upon he plate. 333 they have atendency to move radially outward. so that tneir bull. ends constantlypress out outwardly on the leediusr member. This tendency assists inintroducing: their butt ends into the. seats H.

ll liilc the cartridges may be inserted iii-- diridually into thecompartments oi the Feeding ineml'ier the loader prcl'eralilv alsoprovided with chute de il-es delivering into the feeding: member andapable oi iwsei'ving cartridges in quantity. Two dill'rrcnt l'ornis ofchute are preferably provide-l. one inlo which the cartridges are ledl'roni cartons and the other For receiving them from clips, althoughother lornis o'l chute may also be used it desired.

The supply clinics are usually low ted substantially diametricallyopposite the. gate. or openingthrougzb which the rzn'tritlgrcs arethreaded into the pan. Any suitable number of chutes may be used. and ita plurality are used all oi them may be of the carton form or of theclip form or one or more of each form may be employed. 'lhe drawingsshow the louder equipped with one chute l'or clip rartrii'lges and twoothers for carton (8itridgies.

All of the supply chutes are supported by the lateral arm or extension31 of the central slee e 27. whose otermediulc portio' is sector shapedin plan view, and is deal with aseries. three being shown. of

upper surface of the sector shaped portion 0? .H'Hl 3i provided. alone;each edge ol' the noel-un ts with recesses o clmnnels l5 to receive ribs46 on the bases 4.? of the S1.U )-DlY chutes. which are secured to arm31 by .lially extendiu slots or onen', igs 1-1, Th

screws l 'lluseveral lllLllt-J-l lit inlrrcl'iaugeably in any of thethree pos tions on the arm so that they can be located as drsired andcan be of either type shown.

The clip cartridge rccei'riinij supply chute comprises two side w lie44%, prc't'e. ably slotted to save weight and for iii:-,peetion purposesand connected by a rear wall 50 provided with a rertical slot 51 in itsupper portion. Said side walls on their inner faces are also providedwith channels 52 which form guides for an unclippino. member 53, havingside walls 5% and lairly lbin rear wall 55 to which is attached a lin eriece 56 extending through the slot 51. and means of which member F3 mayhe elevat At the upper end of the device is a (o-operating thumb piece57. The side walls oi the chute at their upper ends are provided withlugs 58 on which are pivotally moncted does 59 whose outer portions (if)serve counter-weights to norniially hold ll'nu-i in positions shown infull lines Fig. l. in which positions their inner latch ens d'l. aresubstantially horizontal and extend wardly over the channel oi"? thechute.

Fig. ill illustrates several cartridges in a. clip of common form, saidclip includinu' channeled body portion in which is yielding; orspringgbacl: 63 whose opposi. ends: are provided with teats 64 whichare. bent up to hold the cartridges-2 in the clip. When rarlrillues aresupplied in this 'ornz the filled clip is pushed down into the chuteuntil the side portions of the cl p rcs upon the side walls ol theuuclipping derive as ndicateul at 65. The latches 6i readily yield asthe cartridges move, downwmid. as iod cuted by the dotted lines in. l ir. fl. in the normal position of the unclipplngr device the finger hold56 rests on the bottom of the slot 51, allowing all oi the(fili'l'illllllflf to be introduced into the chute to a position belowthe locking: dogs. then applying: the

thumbto the thumb hold 57 and the lingers to the linger hold 56 the unclppinn' device can be raised. The upper cartr dge is held back in thechute by the locking d as as shown in Fig. 10, so that continued up Wardmovement of the unclippin; device bends back the lower teat (ll. slidesthe cl p oil from the cartridges and ejects the lip from the hute.sually th lord (H yiolili or lreuds suddenly so that the clip isejerle-l with a quick snapping movement an all live of th cartridgesdrop together to l re bottom ol the chute altlnnioih in .lfii a l0 only'lhree rartride es are illustrated ell-- th sake of clearness.

The chute can of course. be made iii any desired size. prMerably beingol' :1 s ze to receive the contents of two or more clips.

ome cartridges are packed in cartons holding twenty cartridges in twoows of t n 6.& l 1, $81d cartons being. provided-with a rellO 'lllS Gilmova hlc oi ti or into the rover u'hirh exposes ihc butt ends l'K'ifJfOHare filled E :o a base 4-7. such :is hero-re with an upright elude witha channeled scat H? to rci'rirc the 3 cud oi the cartridge and twooppoviir. .5 posed ribs to enter the annular groove 10 of said artridge.On the chute is mounted for Vertical sliding mowmcut a weight 6i) shownas a heavy in cal mcnrcr channeled. out to r ceive and pfll'illillly.srirrouud the chute. Th weight carries pivotal dog; which lies ct.=eh:1.ck oi. the ('lIlEiO and \JlHESU inner end Tl normally extendsthrough a vertical slot in the back of the chute, the outer portion ofsaid, dog being provided with 2 heavier portion 7-3 serving as acounter-weight. The carton cartridges ar. filled into his chute withoutremoving; them from t -ton by merely introducing L116 butt e s of theca. 'idges into the upper end of the chute. To assist in th s operationthe upper end of the chute may be provided with an inclined guide 74./Vhen the cartridges are in. the cluitc the carton is pulled awa 'lhe at6% is then raised. its pivoted dog; 71. yielding an it passes thecartridges. and. .vhr.-.:: it s above the cartridges said dog swingsinwardly into position above the upper one thereof. 'lhis weight thcnproduces a constant downs-2 d pres-sure which advances the cartr dgesdownwardly along the chute a nd prevents them from sticking therein.

In use of the loader with lillir chutes o? chutc inclu drsri' l cd,target! portion 11 prov;

either or both of the types I: rihcd the chutes are loaded with cartru'lhc cartridges thcrci n rest upon th.v her. and as the latter is rotatethe lmvermost cartridge in the chute enters the first vacant compartmentthat comes boizeath the chute. The cartridges therein is then rolledaromul and into the magazine pan. By keeping the chutes full androtatingthe feeding device the cartridges are rapidly transferred to themagazine, and without the operation of any reciprocating or intermitteuy movin part. s a result of which the lmidiug operati n is very rapid.

The devi e may also he used 12s nu unload r (or magazines o illustratedllu. radial dividing x /ails 3 mi llw Feeding members terminate at theirinner ends some distance from the central slcivo 52?. fit one point theplate supports an unloading member formed of upper and lower plates T677 connected by a. radially extending vertical wall. 78 and. ham orinner tongue portions 79, 80 extending around the central sleeve andbent to spiral. form. The spiral tongue 5:30 on the lower plate extendsdown to substantially the level of plate 33.

If a loaned magazine is attached to the unloader and the feeding" device37 is rotated 1,4.oo,oss

in the backward or unloading dircctiem. that is, in a counter clock-Wisedirection. Fig. l the cartridges are unwound from or tin-ended out oi?the magazine and rolled around upon plate 33. spiral tongue 80 they rideup upon the sail-ac and are discharged radially outward over thehorizontal portion 81 of the lower plate 77. The unloading operation canbe performed just as rapidly as the loading operation, the cartridgesbeing pushed out over the edge of the loader and dropping into anysuitable receptacle.

Preferably the upper and lower plates of the unloader and also the plate33 are provided with aligned openings 82. These openings enable theoperator to look down through the device and see the key 22 and alignwith said hey the key-way 25 when applying a magazine to the unloader.

The apparatus described is of relatively simple construction, is soconstructed as to avoid jamming, and enables cartridges to be loadedinto or withdrawn from the magazines With certainty and at a verygreatly increased speed.

.Vhat I claim is:

l. A loader for magazines having lengthwise radially exten dmg cartridgerevolving pockets, comprising cartridge carrying means adapted forconnection to the magazine and having lengthwise radially extendingcartridge receiving pockets whose order and arrangement are like thoseof the magazine.

2. A loader for magazines having lengthwise radially extending cartridgereceiving pockets, comprising cartridge carrying means adapted forconnection to the magazinc and having lengthwise radially extendingmurtridge pockets whose order and arrangement are like those of themagazine, and means co-operating therewith for transferring thecartridges to the magazine.

A loader for magazines having lengthwise radially extending cartridgereceiving pockets, comprising cartridge carrying means adapted forconnection to the magezinc and having lengthwise radially extendi115;cartridge pockets whose order and arrangement are like those of themagazine, and means norn'ially witholding: the cartridges from themagazine.

4-. A loader for magazines having lengthwise radially extendingcartridge receiving pockets, comprising cartridge carrying means adaptedfor connection to the magazine and having radially extending cartridgereceiving pockets whose order and arrangement are like those of themagazine, means normally withholding the cartridges from the magazine,and means whereby relative movement between said cartridge carryingmeans and a part of the magazine feeds the cartridges into the magazine.

When their inner ends reach the 5. A loader, for magazines-"havinglengthwise radially extending cartridge receiving pockets, meansadapted'for connection to the'magazine and having radially extendingcartridge receiving pockets whose order and arrangement are likethose-of the magazine, means norma-lly" withholdlng the cartridgesfromthe ma gazine, and means whereby relative movement; between saidcartridge carrying means and a part of the magazine feeds the cartridgesin consecutive order into the magazine;

6-. A loader for pan magazines having relatively rotatable hub and panmembers 5 and lengthwise radially extending cartridge receiving pockets,comprising cartridge carrying means adapted'for operative-connection tosaid magazine and thereby rotatable around the axis of said hub member,said means being provided with lengthwise radially extending cartridgeholding compartments.

7. A loader for pan magazines having relatively rotatable hub and panmembers, comprising cartridge carrying means adapted for operativeconnection to said magazine and thereby rotatable relatively to its hubmember, said means being provided with lengthwise radially extendingcartridge holding compartments whose order and arrangement are likethose of the magazine.

8. A loader for pan magazines having relatively rotatable hub and panmembers, comprising cartridge carrying means adapted for operativeconnection to said magazine and thereby rotatable relatively to its hubmember, said means being provided with lengthwise radially extendingcartridge holding compartments whose order and arrangement are likethose of the magazine, and co-operating means for transferring thecartridges to the magazine.

9. A loader for pan magazines having relatively rotatable hub and panmembers, comprising cartridge carrying means adapted for operativeconnection to said magazine and thereby rotatable relatively to its hubmember, said means being provided with lengthwise radially extendingcartridge holding compartments whose order and arrangement are likethose of the magazine, and means whereby relative rotation of the panand hub members transfers the cartridges to the magazine.

10. A loader for pan magazines having relatively rotatable hub and panmembers, comprising cartridge carrying means adapted for operativeconnection to said magazine and thereby rotatable relatively to its hubmember, said means being provided with lengthwise radially extendingcartridge holding compartments whose order and arrangement are likethose of the magazine, and means whereby relative rotation of comprisingcartridge carrying- 7J5 zinc and having at least three lengthwiseradially extending compartments for hold ing cartridges with theirlongitudinal axes in the same plane and in like order and arrangementwitht-he compartments of the magazine.

12. A ma'gazineloader, comprising a member adapted for connection to themaga zine and having at least threelengthwise" radially extendingcompartments for hold 8)- ingcartridges with their longitudinal axes Yin the same plane and in like order and. arrangement with thecompartments of the magazine, and-meansfor transferring the cartridgesfrom said member to the magazine.

13. A magazine loader, comprising a member adapted for connection to themagazine and having at least three lengthwise radially extendingcompartments for holding cartridges with their longitudinal axes in thesame plane and in like order and arrangement with the compartments ofthe magazine, and means for transferring the cartridges in consecutiveorder from said member to the magazine.

14. A loader for pan magazines having relatively rotatable hub and panmembers and lengthwise radially extending cartridge receivingcompartments, comprising a cartridge holding member rotatable in phasewith the pan and having a like order and arrangement of cartridgeholding compartments.

15. A loader for pan magazines having relatively rotatable hub and panmembers, comprising a cartridge holding member rotatable in phase withthe pan and having a like order and arrangement of cartridge holdingcompartments, and means whereby rotation of said member threads thecartridges into the hub.

16. A loader for pan magazines having relatively rotatable hub and panmembers, comprising a cartridge holding member rotatable in phase withthe pan and having a like order and arrangement of cartridge holdingcompartments, and means whereby rotation of said member threads thecartridges in consecutive order into the hub.

17. A loader for pan magazines having relatively rotatable hub and panmembers and having lengthwise radially extending cartridge receivingcompartments, comprising a support adapted for fixed connection to thehub and carrying a plate covering all the pan compartments, said platehaving a gate therein, and means for threading cartridges through saidgate into the pan member.

" members.

18. A loader for pan magazines having relatively rotatable hub and panmembers and having lengthwise radially extending cartridge receivingcompartments, comprising a support adapted for fixed connection 19.'Aloader for pan magazines having relatively rotatable hub and panmembers, comprising a support adapted for fixed connection to the huband carrying a: plate covering all the pan compartments, said platehaving a gate therein, and acartridge feeding member movable above saidplate.

20. A loader for pan magazines having 7 relatively rotatable hub and panmembers,

comprising a support adapted for fixed connection to the hub andcarrying a plate cov- I ering the pan compartments, said plate having agate therein, and a cartridge feeding member movable above said plateand having compartmentswhose order and arrangement are like those of thepan memben v 21. A loader for pane magazines having nection to the huband carrying a plate covering all the pan compartmentasaid plate havinga gate therein, a cartridge feeding member movable above said plate, andmeans for supplying-cartridges tosaid feeding member.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FRANCIS M. CASE.

relatively rotatable hub and pan members,

comprising a support adapted for fixed 0011-" $0

